On the heels of a (VERY) successful launch of Facebook Connect, which appeared on blogs and websites everywhere within weeks, (as well as implementation by large social sites such as DIGG .......
.... the news came earlier today that Facebook is acquiring Friendfeed, or as Bret Taylor put it .... in classic Friendfeed style ...."Friendfeed accepted Facebook's Friend Request".
Most people never really got to know Friendfeed. To some, the latest look and feel made it easier to use.
The true magic of Friendfeed and the very high level of innovation, on an ongoing basis, was never realized by many of those discovering the service. There were so many features (many of them not readily visible) that people simply didn't know how to use or leverage them, or simply didn't have time to figure it out.
Many asked, on a regular basis, why we (yes, I'll include myself) were so loyal to Friendfeed. Why we continued to post about it. Why we urged people to try it.
The answer is simple. You could make Friendfeed just about anything you wanted it to be. The user was in complete control. The uptime was extraordinary and there were NO LIMITS as I recently blogged.
Bret's post tells the story. We don't know yet what will become of Friendfeed. Certainly, it has changed A LOT since the launch.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting a purchase price of just under 50 million (US) dollars in cash and stock making it one of the largest acquisitions between two privately held companies in a long time.
The bottom line here is NOT the money although I think looking for a payout for hard work in a rocky economy instead of chasing a way to monetize (at the right price) makes perfect sense.
The important thing here is for the Venture Capital people to be watching. The banks, even more importantly, that have all but cut off innovation by stopping lending to small businesses.
It can be done.
I'm looking forward with anxious anticipation to the next chapter (and not yet combining the two on the right :).
Very sincere congratulations to the entire Friendfeed team. This says a lot more than just a brilliant start-up being acquired. For many, it restores hope in their own start-ups, and hopefully will be recognized by many as an example they can look to.
From a personal standpoint, I've said it before. Some of my best contacts in the past 2 years were, in fact, made on Friendfeed. I am personally grateful to you guys.
As I was just about to take a week or two of from blogging, there was simply no way I wasn't going to write this piece. It's just exciting.
One thing we now know for sure .....
The real-time web is here .... in a big way ....
...... and it's probably just the beginning.